Photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) combines in a unique way photon-based probing with electron-based imaging. Surprisingly, PEEM also allows the visualization of light propagation near solid surfaces with electrons. The spatial resolution in this imaging process is limited by the electron optics. In the past years we have designed and built an aberration-corrected photoemission microscope and now use this system to visualize the temporal and spatial dynamics of guided optical waves. In this talk I will discuss some of the electron optics underlying our microscope design and recent results in photonics and plasmonics.